Brit European — 2023-05-09
Members Corner
Women can see things from a different perspective, which will help drive innovation and encourage positive reactions.
Britain’s CV sector recently joined in celebration of International Women’s Day, a global event to highlight the achievements of women, promote equality and raise awareness about discrimination.
To mark the event, businesses in the transport sector have been highlighting the variety of roles available in the industry, ranging from drivers and engineers to directors and service advisers, encouraging more women to consider it as an employment option.
Amelia Crump, area sales manager for Northern England and North Wales at Pelican Engineering, which distributes Yutong electric buses in the UK, said the company has given her the opportunity to work in different areas of the business and given her an excellent overview of operations.
“It’s so important to encourage more women into the transport industry,” she said. “Women make up 47% of the UK workforce, yet currently only 20% of workers in transport are women. This needs to change.”
Pallet network Palletways UK has seen a 25% year-on-year increase in female employees.
Big increase
There were 99 women working at Palletways in 2021 and this rose by almost a quarter to 124 in 2022 as women increasingly see the sector as offering an appealing career path.
Some 28% of its female workforce is in entry level roles, while 24% are in intermediary positions, 40% are in managerial roles, 2% are in driver roles and 4% are directors or heads of departments.
Jennifer Mosley-Bradley, head of HR for Palletways UK, said: “There is no doubt that women are under-represented in this sector which is why we have an awareness drive to bring more women into the logistics industry.
“We are proud to say that our efforts are really paying dividends with such a massive year-on-year increase in female employees and we will continue to work hard to attract even more women into this exciting sector.”
Jennifer added that the initial hurdle is often getting women to consider a career in logistics in the first place which is why the organisation is working hard to correct this gender imbalance.
Intriguing times
“We increasingly find that women are intrigued by what a career in logistics could offer them and once they come on board they find that there is a world of opportunities that they never even knew existed”, she said.
XPO Logistics has held a series of internal structured group discussions, where women in the company have shared insights into what makes them successful in their roles and proud about their careers.
Female forums
In addition, the company announced it will continue with its Female Drivers Forums, which started in the UK in 2022, giving women an opportunity to speak with leadership and suggest ways to enhance their work experience.
Luis Gomez, XPO president, Europe, said: “We are committed to using our leadership positions in Europe to connect as many women as possible to rewarding careers.
“The most compelling way to do this is to hear from the women – our female drivers, site operators and business managers – and we will continue to ensure that they have a powerful voice in our culture.”